Andy van der Meyde
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| Andy van der Meyde | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andy van der Meyde | |
| Date of birth | September 30, 1979 (age 27) | |
| Place of birth | Arnhem, The Netherlands | |
| Playing position | Winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Everton | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Ajax | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997-1999 1999-2000 2000-2003 2003-2005 2005- |
Ajax FC Twente(Loan) Ajax Inter Milan Everton |
26 (9) 32 (2) 86 (11) 31 (3) 17 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2002-2004 | Netherlands | 18 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Andy van der Meyde (born September 30, 1979 in Arnhem, Gelderland) is a Dutch international footballer, who usually plays as a attacking midfielder. He currently plays his club football for Everton of the English Premiership. He is a right-footed winger, and can play on either wing, although for the Netherlands national football team and during his time at Ajax, he usually played on the right wing.
He was signed up to the famous Ajax youth academy as a youngster, and impressed so much he made his debut for Ajax aged just 18, helping his side beat FC Twente 1-0 on November 12, 1997. In 1999 he gained first team experience by joining Twente for a season loan. Van der Meyde played 32 out of the 34 league games and scored twice.
After this, he became a regular for Ajax, playing 86 league games for them. His form earned him a call up to the Dutch national squad, and he regularly played Champions League football for Ajax. Meanwhile, van der Meyde was handed his debut for the Dutch national squad for a match against USA May 2002 under Dick Advocaat which he marked with a memorable goal in a 2-0 victory.
In 2003, after scoring 11 goals from midfield, Inter Milan signed van der Meyde from Ajax for £4m. However a disappointing season saw Van der Meyde managing only 15 league appearances. In the summer of 2004, van der Meyde helped Holland reach the semi finals of Euro 2004. His inclusion into the squad was, however, not endorsed by Johan Cruijff who declared that as long as the winger is in the Dutch national team for Euro 2004, the team would not stand a chance to win the coveted title. In spite of such criticism, van der Meyde managed to feature in 4 matches in the build-up to the semi-finals. van der Meyde was overlooked for the semi-final game against Portugal and after EURO 2004, when Marco van Basten took over as national team coach, he did not receive a call-up to the Dutch team again.
After 29 appearances for Inter in the 2004/05 season, van der Meyde was informed that he could find another club. Strong speculation suggested van der Meyde would return to Ajax, their was also interest from Monaco and Tottenham, but on 31 August 2005 he agreed to join English club Everton for £2m.
However, on March 25, 2006, for Everton in his first Merseyside Derby against Liverpool he received a straight red-card for his challenge against Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. Liverpool eventually went on to win the match 3-1.
In the summer of 2006, van der Meyde proved once again to be the centre of much speculation regarding his future having failed to properly settle at Everton, making a paltry 11 appearances in his first season thanks to a combination of injuries and rumours of alcoholism. Van der Meyde staunchly denied any such allegations and reaffirmed his commitment to Everton in June 2006, stating "I want to stay, I am desperate to stay. I love it here. Everything suits my game. I'm happy in England and I want to show everyone that I can really play football. If I get the chance next season, I will do it."[1]
Van der Meyde was admitted to hospital in the early hours of August 7, with breathing problems. It was claimed that his drink had been spiked whilst in a bar in Liverpool. He has been fined by Everton for the breach of discipline (he should not have been out on the Sunday). To further add to a miserable week for Andy, his house was burgled during Everton's friendly with Athletico Bilbao five days later. His Ferrari, Mini Cooper, and dog were amongst the items stolen. The cars and pet dog have since been found although the Ferrari had its windscreen smashed.[2] After all the personal problems and rumours linking him away from the club, van der Meyde put in a very impressive display on the right wing against West Ham. Showing his natural pace, tecnique and crossing ability. Since the West Ham game Andy Van Der Meyde seems to have impressed manger David Moyes he has made more starts.
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[edit] External links
| Everton F.C. - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Wright | 2 Hibbert | 3 Naysmith | 4 Yobo | 6 Arteta | 7 Van der Meyde | 8 Johnson | 9 Beattie | 11 McFadden | 15 Stubbs | 16 Lescott | 17 Cahill | 18 Neville | 19 Valente | 21 Osman | 22 Vaughan | 23 Pistone | 24 Howard | 26 Carsley | 28 Anichebe | 30 Ruddy | 36 Boyle | 37 Fernandes | 38 Anderson | 41 Viðarsson | Manager: Moyes |
